Documentation / git-grep.txton commit Merge branch 'ah/doc-gitattributes-empty-index' into maint (86d51bb)
   1git-grep(1)
   2===========
   3
   4NAME
   5----
   6git-grep - Print lines matching a pattern
   7
   8
   9SYNOPSIS
  10--------
  11[verse]
  12'git grep' [-a | --text] [-I] [--textconv] [-i | --ignore-case] [-w | --word-regexp]
  13           [-v | --invert-match] [-h|-H] [--full-name]
  14           [-E | --extended-regexp] [-G | --basic-regexp]
  15           [-P | --perl-regexp]
  16           [-F | --fixed-strings] [-n | --line-number]
  17           [-l | --files-with-matches] [-L | --files-without-match]
  18           [(-O | --open-files-in-pager) [<pager>]]
  19           [-z | --null]
  20           [-c | --count] [--all-match] [-q | --quiet]
  21           [--max-depth <depth>]
  22           [--color[=<when>] | --no-color]
  23           [--break] [--heading] [-p | --show-function]
  24           [-A <post-context>] [-B <pre-context>] [-C <context>]
  25           [-W | --function-context]
  26           [--threads <num>]
  27           [-f <file>] [-e] <pattern>
  28           [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e <pattern>...]
  29           [--recurse-submodules] [--parent-basename <basename>]
  30           [ [--[no-]exclude-standard] [--cached | --no-index | --untracked] | <tree>...]
  31           [--] [<pathspec>...]
  32
  33DESCRIPTION
  34-----------
  35Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
  36registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.  Patterns
  37are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline
  38characters.  An empty string as search expression matches all lines.
  39
  40
  41CONFIGURATION
  42-------------
  43
  44grep.lineNumber::
  45        If set to true, enable `-n` option by default.
  46
  47grep.patternType::
  48        Set the default matching behavior. Using a value of 'basic', 'extended',
  49        'fixed', or 'perl' will enable the `--basic-regexp`, `--extended-regexp`,
  50        `--fixed-strings`, or `--perl-regexp` option accordingly, while the
  51        value 'default' will return to the default matching behavior.
  52
  53grep.extendedRegexp::
  54        If set to true, enable `--extended-regexp` option by default. This
  55        option is ignored when the `grep.patternType` option is set to a value
  56        other than 'default'.
  57
  58grep.threads::
  59        Number of grep worker threads to use.  If unset (or set to 0),
  60        8 threads are used by default (for now).
  61
  62grep.fullName::
  63        If set to true, enable `--full-name` option by default.
  64
  65grep.fallbackToNoIndex::
  66        If set to true, fall back to git grep --no-index if git grep
  67        is executed outside of a git repository.  Defaults to false.
  68
  69
  70OPTIONS
  71-------
  72--cached::
  73        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
  74        blobs registered in the index file.
  75
  76--no-index::
  77        Search files in the current directory that is not managed by Git.
  78
  79--untracked::
  80        In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working
  81        tree, search also in untracked files.
  82
  83--no-exclude-standard::
  84        Also search in ignored files by not honoring the `.gitignore`
  85        mechanism. Only useful with `--untracked`.
  86
  87--exclude-standard::
  88        Do not pay attention to ignored files specified via the `.gitignore`
  89        mechanism.  Only useful when searching files in the current directory
  90        with `--no-index`.
  91
  92--recurse-submodules::
  93        Recursively search in each submodule that has been initialized and
  94        checked out in the repository.  When used in combination with the
  95        <tree> option the prefix of all submodule output will be the name of
  96        the parent project's <tree> object.
  97
  98--parent-basename <basename>::
  99        For internal use only.  In order to produce uniform output with the
 100        --recurse-submodules option, this option can be used to provide the
 101        basename of a parent's <tree> object to a submodule so the submodule
 102        can prefix its output with the parent's name rather than the SHA1 of
 103        the submodule.
 104
 105-a::
 106--text::
 107        Process binary files as if they were text.
 108
 109--textconv::
 110        Honor textconv filter settings.
 111
 112--no-textconv::
 113        Do not honor textconv filter settings.
 114        This is the default.
 115
 116-i::
 117--ignore-case::
 118        Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
 119        files.
 120
 121-I::
 122        Don't match the pattern in binary files.
 123
 124--max-depth <depth>::
 125        For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
 126        levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
 127        This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards.
 128        In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*",
 129        "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.
 130
 131-w::
 132--word-regexp::
 133        Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
 134        beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
 135        the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
 136
 137-v::
 138--invert-match::
 139        Select non-matching lines.
 140
 141-h::
 142-H::
 143        By default, the command shows the filename for each
 144        match.  `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
 145        `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
 146        except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
 147        line.
 148
 149--full-name::
 150        When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
 151        outputs paths relative to the current directory.  This
 152        option forces paths to be output relative to the project
 153        top directory.
 154
 155-E::
 156--extended-regexp::
 157-G::
 158--basic-regexp::
 159        Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns.  Default
 160        is to use basic regexp.
 161
 162-P::
 163--perl-regexp::
 164        Use Perl-compatible regexp for patterns. Requires libpcre to be
 165        compiled in.
 166
 167-F::
 168--fixed-strings::
 169        Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
 170        as a regex).
 171
 172-n::
 173--line-number::
 174        Prefix the line number to matching lines.
 175
 176-l::
 177--files-with-matches::
 178--name-only::
 179-L::
 180--files-without-match::
 181        Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
 182        names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
 183        For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
 184        synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
 185
 186-O[<pager>]::
 187--open-files-in-pager[=<pager>]::
 188        Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
 189        If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
 190        specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
 191        the first match automatically. The `pager` argument is
 192        optional; if specified, it must be stuck to the option
 193        without a space. If `pager` is unspecified, the default pager
 194        will be used (see `core.pager` in linkgit:git-config[1]).
 195
 196-z::
 197--null::
 198        Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 199        file name.
 200
 201-c::
 202--count::
 203        Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 204        lines that match.
 205
 206--color[=<when>]::
 207        Show colored matches.
 208        The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 209
 210--no-color::
 211        Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 212        gives the default to color output.
 213        Same as `--color=never`.
 214
 215--break::
 216        Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 217
 218--heading::
 219        Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 220        at the start of each shown line.
 221
 222-p::
 223--show-function::
 224        Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 225        the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 226        The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 227        patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 228        linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 229
 230-<num>::
 231-C <num>::
 232--context <num>::
 233        Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 234        containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 235
 236-A <num>::
 237--after-context <num>::
 238        Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 239        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 240
 241-B <num>::
 242--before-context <num>::
 243        Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 244        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 245
 246-W::
 247--function-context::
 248        Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 249        function name up to the one before the next function name,
 250        effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 251        found.
 252
 253--threads <num>::
 254        Number of grep worker threads to use.
 255        See `grep.threads` in 'CONFIGURATION' for more information.
 256
 257-f <file>::
 258        Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 259
 260-e::
 261        The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 262        used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 263        scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 264        combined by 'or'.
 265
 266--and::
 267--or::
 268--not::
 269( ... )::
 270        Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 271        expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 272        higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 273        patterns.
 274
 275--all-match::
 276        When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 277        this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 278        have lines to match all of them.
 279
 280-q::
 281--quiet::
 282        Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 283        there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 284
 285<tree>...::
 286        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 287        blobs in the given trees.
 288
 289\--::
 290        Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 291        are <pathspec> limiters.
 292
 293<pathspec>...::
 294        If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 295        Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 296
 297Examples
 298--------
 299
 300`git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 301        Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 302        directory and its subdirectories.
 303
 304`git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 305        Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 306        `PATH_MAX`.
 307
 308`git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 309        Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 310        files that have lines that match both.
 311
 312GIT
 313---
 314Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite